5 Ways Content Marketing Can Empower Your Business

Content marketing isn’t a new concept in the business world but has only recently got a huge boost in the digital marketing stratosphere and for good reason.

For one, customers are increasingly expecting brands to connect with them in some way, whether it be through shared values, or knowing that said brand truly understands their desires and needs. In other words, they equate connection with trust.

We also can’t ignore the fact that we’re living in a hyper-saturated world where we’re bombarded with messages from brands and businesses every hour of the day which can make it easy for customers to tune out. They’re also spoiled for options so as business, it’s so important to be able to cut through that noise with messaging that connects with your audience.

This is why content marketing plays such a vital role in how you communicate with your audience and, by extension, market your offerings.

If you’re a small business owner, especially, content marketing can be one of your best allies as an invaluable tactic that can help you expand your reach and build a trustworthy reputation online.

Let’s jump into five ways content marketing can be the key to your business’s success.

Improve your brand’s reputation

There are countless ways to share content with customers, whether you want to lean in on social media marketing, run a monthly newsletter, blog, etc. The thing is, content marketing is more than just sharing information, it’s also about providing your audience with the information they need to make positive purchasing decisions. The more you do this, the more you’re able to build your brand’s credibility and importantly, trust, and this can help drive sales growth and customer retention. It can also help increase brand awareness and affinity because when people read your content they’ll become familiar with your brand and understand what you’re all about. When they see your brand in other places they’ll associate it with something positive in their mind.

Influence conversions

The goal of any marketing activity is ultimately to achieve conversions, whether that’s in the form of signups, downloads, and, of course, sales. Valuable content can be used to attract visitors to your website, where you can then use additional tactics like email marketing, paid advertising, or social media promotion to convert them into leads or sales. The most important part of content marketing is that it has to be valuable to your readers. People are bombarded with hundreds of ads every day, so the best way you can stand out from the noise is by providing content that really offers value to your target audience. When done correctly, content marketing shows your customers that you are an expert in your field and creates a personal connection with them, making them more likely to convert into paying customers. The more people know about your business and what you do, the more likely they are to become repeat customers.

Improve your website’s SEO

Content marketing can be useful for improving your search engine ranking and overall online visibility. Generally, SEO can be a complicated process that takes time to get right, but you can make it easier by providing quality content for search engines to pick up on. That way you don’t have to worry about lengthy SEO processes because the content you created will do all of that work for you. Search engines like Google want to display the most relevant and useful information that they can for users who are searching for answers. Publishing content that’s helpful and interesting to readers gives you a better chance of being featured in search engine results. This is also called “organic” traffic because it comes from the website itself, not from ads or other sites. When you consider that organic traffic converts three times more than paid traffic, it’s easy to see why investing in content marketing is a must!

A cost-effective way to bring in new leads

Content marketing leads to increased leads because you’re always providing useful information for your target audience. When people like what they’re reading, they’ll want to learn more about your company and possibly even buy what you’re selling. Good content keeps customers engaged. If you offer something valuable enough to attract people to your website, they’ll stick around — which gives you the opportunity to get more of their contact information (like email addresses), and keep them informed about your latest offers or products, or sell them something directly.

Become an industry thought leader

As I’ve mentioned earlier, people are bombarded with hundreds of ads every day and have become desensitised to marketing messages. The only way you can stand out from the noise is by providing content that shows that you have comprehensive knowledge of the industry you’re in and on topics that affect your customers. This positions you and your business as an industry thought leader. Especially if you have a small business, consistently showing off your expertise is how you can differentiate yourself from larger competitors. This kind of content can range from a “how-to” guide on using your product or service, to industry trend analysis.

The reason content marketing works so well is that it can show your customers and lead how you are the solution to their problems and needs. It’s all about your company and its services, and not about the product itself. This mindset of focusing on the problems your company solves and illustrating those on a consistent basis is vital to cultivating and retaining a loyal customer base that trusts you and will continue to do business with you.

If you’re considering content marketing services and want to find out even more ways they can benefit your company, let’s connect today!

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